Tuesday 7 May 2013

Admissions Results Analysis

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement
 
During the first few weeks of April the press around the world has been buzzing with post-mortem perspectives on U.S. college admissions. First, the news came out that the Ivy League and other competitive colleges had received a record number of applications -- leading to even lower rates of admission among these already highly selective institutions. In 2012 Harvard accepted 5.9% of its applicant pool, this year it was 5.7%. The same is true for almost all colleges ranked within the top 10.

This news of lower admissions rates, in turn, spawned a flurry of speculation
about what it means, whether it is fair, and ultimately, will we ever know what it
actually takes to get into these selective colleges. Several observers, including
renowned journalist Fareed Zakaria have raised the question “Does the US
University system need change?” The news really exploded when Pennyslyvania
12th Grader Suzy Lee Weiss wrote a Wall Street Journal opinon piece which
expressed her disgruntlement about not being admitted to any Ivy League
college, despite having top notch credentials.

While Weiss’s well-publicized case put the spotlight on the seemingly arbitrary
nature of admissions, other blogs also shared anecdotal accounts of individual
student results. Looking at these, the system seems to make even less sense than
ever. Closer to home, Sush Krishnamoorthy of New Delhi, student blogger for
The New York Times, ‘The Choice’ blog, puzzled over her own admisson to
Cornell (with a 15% acceptance rate). While being rejected at Harvey Mudd
(18% acceptance rate) and Wellesley (28% acceptance rate). By the numbers,
her results should not have come out this way. Other student bloggers report
much the same kind of randomness in results.

So knowing all of this, what is a future applicant to do? Obviously a set of people
will say if there are no guarantees why go through all the hard work of creating a
competitive student profile just to end somewhere the student could have gone
without as much effort. Just enjoy life and do your best. There is nothing wrong
with that approach, and it is consistent with what I always tell people – if you
enjoy something, do it. Whether its extracurricular, studies or social service.
Doing something only to impress admissions officers is transparent and usually
fails.

But if you have your sights set on studying in the US and you are worried about
this year’s results, consider the fact that out of the 4,000+ universities in the U.S.
only 135 are so selective that they admit 50% or fewer of their applicants. This
means there are literally thousands more excellent colleges where you have a
very high chance of getting in. I appreciate that attending a college you may not
have heard of seems like a risky investment of time and money, but with a little
homework you can identify some great opportunities. Depending on your goals,
research the college’s student profile, placement rate, or try to find local alumni
to talk to about the college. And, if you are planning to work in the US after
graduation, contact the international student office to find out whether most
international graduates get visa sponsorship for work after they complete their
degree. Simple questions like these can help you find some gems, and who
knows, you may even get a scholarship!

Links for Reference:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2140209-2,00.html
http://nation.time.com/2013/04/02/ivy-league-schools-accepting-even-fewer-
kids/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014241278873240007045783903400645
78654.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-lyons/suzy-lee-weiss-wall-street-
journal_b_3062517.html

http://collegeapps.about.com/b/2013/04/13/ivy-league-acceptance-rates-for-
class-of-2017.htm

International admissions:
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/international-admits-2012/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2140209-2,00.html

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